1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a louver panel for use with an electronic sign, and more specifically, preferably for an electronic sign having interleaved pixels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art electronic signs often incorporate shading devices to improve visibility, readability and general appearance of information displayed on an electronic sign. Ambient light, whether it be man-made or natural sunlight, can hinder viewing caused by a washout of the lighting elements of the electronic sign. Accordingly, shading devices have been provided in many forms, one including individual shade members for individual illuminated display devices aligned over and about the top of a light emitting diode (LED), a commonly used light device used to illuminate an electronic sign. Other shading devices have been provided by utilizing an elongated rectangular blade extending outwardly from a panel over one or more rows of multiple LED devices. Attempts to provide effective shading offered a limited degree of success and have done little to improve contrast or readability. In some arrangements, the use of louver (blade) devices, while providing some shading to the LEDs, included visual interference such as a hampering viewing of the LEDs from the side and/or above or below an LED display array. Sideways viewing of the prior art sign LEDs can be hampered by LEDs having close spacing whereby one LED can be blocking another LED. Other visual inconsistencies exist where LED panels are adjacently located and aligned in a vertical or horizontal juxtaposition such that unsightly or distracting vertically or horizontally aligned spaces between the LED panels are noticeable and visible to the viewer.
Use of the present invention in association with an electronic sign maximizes viewing angles, camouflages horizontal and vertical seams, and maximizes contrast of an LED display. This invention provides a better quality and highly consistent image with considerably larger viewing angles compared to other louvers on identically sized LED display screens. The unique shape of primary and secondary louvers and spacings therebetween provide multiple regions of shading for a higher LED background contrast and add shading to camouflage the seams between the modules of adjacent LED displays. The unique louver shapes and associations also provide expanded vertical, horizontal and angular viewing angles in a preferred embodiment having rectangular louvers and, in an alternative embodiment, having scallop shaped louvers. Embodiments having primary and secondary louvers are provided, the first of which favors contrast and the second of which, as an alternative embodiment, favors viewability from multiple viewing positions.